Yes it’s been a few weeks. Thankfully things are really busy. Just the way I like it. If I could multiply myself into four more people, it would be phenomenal! Until then, I’ll keep having fun and doing all I can do. So to get back on track, I will return to the “Magic Book of Life” Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Also I have some advice on not being out numbered by Unnecessary props on stage. Have fun and thanks for all your comments!

Faith in Yourself is a State of Mind That You Can Create by Autosuggestion

All through the ages, religious leaders have admonished people to “have faith”. They say to have faith is this, that, and the other dogma or creed, but they have failed to tell people how to have faith. They have not stated that “faith is a state of mind that may be induced by self-suggestion.”
In Language that anyone can understand, this book explains the principle through which faith in your ability to accomplish a goal may be developed where it does not already exist. Before we begin, you should be reminded again that: Faith is the “external elixir” that life, power and action to the impulse of thought. The foregoing sentence is worth reading a second time, and a third, and a fourth. It is worth reading aloud!

Faith is the starting point of all accumulation of riches. Faith is the basis of all “miracles” and of all mysteries that cannot be analyzed by the rules of science.

Faith is the only known antidote for failure.

Faith is the element that, when mixed with desire, gives you direct communication with infinite intelligence.

Faith is the element that transforms the ordinary vibration of thought, created by the human mind, into the spiritual equivalent.

Faith is the only way the Force of Infinite Intelligence can be harnessed and used.

The Magic of Self-Suggestion

It is a fact that you will come to believe whatever you repeat to yourself, whether the statement is true or false. If you repeat a lie over and over, you will eventually accept that lie as truth. Moreover, you will believe it to be the truth. You are what you are because of the dominating thoughts that you permit to occupy your mind. Thoughts that you deliberately place in your own mind, and encourage with sympathy, and with which you mix any one or more of the emotions, constitute the motivation forces that direct and control you every movement, act, and deed.

The following sentence is a very significant statement of truth: Thoughts that are mixed with any of the feelings of emotion become like a magnetic force, which attracts other similar or related thoughts.

A thought that is “magnetized” with one of the emotions may be compared to a seed. When it is planted in fertile soil, it germinates, grows, and multiplies itself over and over again. What was originally one small seed becomes countless millions of seeds of the same kind.

The human mind is constantly attracting vibrations that are in sync with whatever dominates the mind. Any thought, idea, plan or purpose that you hold in you mind attracts a host of it’s relatives. Add these “relatives” to its own force, and it grows until it becomes the prime motivator of the person in whose mind it has been housed.

Tony’s thoughts:

Wow how powerful this section is! We need to remember that our minds do have the strength and control to do what ever it takes. It applies to every aspect of our lives. And for those magicians out there, it’s a great lesson on how to improve our acts as well. If you keep repeating the same mistakes over and over, then you know what’s going to happen when you perform. That’s why I always say that it’s not Practice that makes you perfect, it’s Perfect Practice that does it.

Don’t let Unnecessary props out number you!!!

I was just reminded of this last week when I saw an act on stage. Sadly it was a “pro” act making the big mistake of being out numbered by Unnecessary props. Let me give you a visual example of what I saw and then I will explain the many reasons this is a mistake. And I will give some ways to avoid these mistakes.

On stage right there was a light colored stool. On stage left there was another light colored stool. Behind the Stage right stool there was a chair with a leather doctor’s bag on it and center stage there was a table with a drape around it. So we have, 2 stools, one chair, a leather doctors bag, and a table with a drape center stage. Can you imagine what this looks like! If you said Yard Sale you are correct! I was baffled.

Here’s why you don’t want to have anything like this on stage. First of all you get lost among the props. Secondly you are taking away any surprise of what’s to come. Thirdly it takes a long time to set the stage.

No don’t get me wrong, it’s OK to use props, just don’t have them all out on stage at the same time.

Have them brought out to you as needed. This will make the show more interesting. I always say that the key is to add new information as your act moves along to keep the audience interested and engaged. What better way to do that then to have props brought out and then removed as needed.

Also you need to ask yourself if the props are actually needed? Do you really need 2 stools on stage? Can the people just stand instead? Think about the real life circumstances of a show. Most of the time you don’t even have a curtain to set up behind so setting up a ton of props is a challenge. Remember don’t give it all away up front. Meaning don’t let the audience know what you’re going to do before you do it. Introduce things as you need them and the audience will be interested to see that they are and what they do.

Remember to never stop dreaming because everything starts with a dream.

All your dreams in life can come true, just as long as you don’t oversleep!  – Tony Clark

Hi All,

Can’t believe this is my 8th blog already. Time flies when your having fun! I hope everyone who reads this is enjoying and using this priceless information that I am merely delivering to you from the great mind of Napoleon Hill. This week I’m taking an excerpt from chapter 4 of his book – Think and Grow Rich. I’d like to start with one of Napoleon’s wonderful quotes.

“There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge” – Napoleon Hill

Faith in your ability
Visualization of, and belief in, attainment of desire

Faith is the head chemist of the mind. When faith is blended with thought, the subconscious mind instantly picks up the vibration. The subconscious then translates it and transmits it to the Infinite Intelligence.

The emotions of faith, love and sex are the most powerful of all the major positive emotions. When the three are blended, they have the effect of “coloring” thought in such a way that it instantly reaches the subconscious mind. There, it is changed into a form that induces a response from the Infinite Intelligence

How to Develop Faith

The following statement is very important in understanding the importance of autosuggestion in the transmutation of desire into its physical or monetary equivalent, namely: Faith is a state of mind that may be induced, or created, by affirmation or repeated instructions to the subconscious mind, through the principle of autosuggestion.

The repetition of affirmations is like giving orders to your subconscious mind, and it is the only known method of voluntary development of the emotion of faith (absolute belief that you can do something.)

As an illustration, consider why you are reading this book. You want to acquire the ability to transmute the intangible thought impulse of desire into its physical counterpart, money. By following the instructions laid down in the later chapters on auto suggestion and the subconscious mind, you will learn techniques to convince your subconscious mind that you believe you will receive that for which you ask. Your subconscious will act upon that belief, and pass it back to you in the form of “faith”, followed by definite plans for procuring that which you desire.

Faith in yourself and your abilities is a state of mind that you will be able to develop at will, after you have mastered the thirteen principles in this book. This is true because faith is a state of mind that will develop naturally within you when you use and apply these principles.

The emotions, or the “feeling” portion of thoughts, are what give your thoughts vitality, life, and action. The emotion of faith, love, and sex, when mixed with any thought impulse, give it even greater action. All thoughts that have been emotionalized (given feeling) and mixed with faith (absolute belief in you ability) begin immediately to translate themselves into their physical equivalent or counterpart.

However, this is not only true of thought impulses that have been mixed with faith, but it is true with any emotion. Including negative emotions.

Tony’s Thoughts:

Again, this is a perfect section for entertainers. I work with many acts that have a problem with stage fright. I have them use their minds to visualize themselves doing a perfect show for a responsive audience. With these thoughts and visuals in mind when they hit the stage, they will not only feel better but the audience will sense the confidence and power. Faith in you ability will follow. Of course you must be sure to rehearse or be prepared for whatever it is your doing and then literally put your mind to it and do it in a state of total confidence.

I’d like to leave you with the quote I started with. Print it out and look at it everyday. Share it with everyone you know.

“There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge” – Napoleon Hill

Until next time, be well.

Tony Clark

I’ve been traveling like crazy so I apologize for not posting my blog last week. I picked an especially good excerpt from Think and Grow Rich for this week’s blog. I see the challenge that’s out there right now. I know this blog will help keep everyone moving ahead and thinking of fresh new ideas that people want and need. Enjoy!

The Power of Dreams

If you are in this race for riches, you should be encouraged by the following truth: The world in which we live is demanding new ideas, new ways of doing things, new leaders, new inventions, and new methods, styles, versions, and variations of everything all of the time. Behind all this demand for new and better things, there is one quality that you must possess to win, and that is the definiteness of purpose- the knowledge of what you want, and a burning desire to possess it. If you truly desire riches, remember that the real leaders of the world have always been people who harnessed, and put into practical use, the intangible, unseen forces of opportunity. Leaders are the people who convert those opportunities into cities, skyscrapers, factories, transportation, entertainment, and every form of convenience that make things easier, faster, better, or just make life more pleasant.

If planning to acquire your share of riches, don’t let anyone put you down for being a dreamer. To win big stakes in this challenging world, you must catch the spirit of the great pioneers, whose dreams have given to civilization all that it has of value. It is that spirit which serves as the life-blood of our own country- your opportunity and mine, to develop and market our talents.

A burning desire to be and to do is the starting point from which the dreamer must take off. Dreams are not born of indifference, laziness, or lack of ambition.

If the thing you wish to do is right, and you believe in it, go ahead and do it. Never mind what “they” say if you meet with temporary defeat. “They” do not know that every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent success.

Marconi dreamed of a system for sending sound from one place to another without the use of wires. It may interest you to know that Marconi’s “friends” had him taken into custody, and examined in a psychiatric hospital, when he announced he had discovered a principle by which he could send messages through the air. Evidence that he did not dream in vain may be found in every radio, (and television set, cellular phone, communications satellite, and every other “wireless” device) in the world.

Fortunately, the dreamers of today fare better. Today your world is filled with an abundance of opportunity that the dreamer of the past never knew.

Tony’ thoughts:

Wow, isn’t this perfect for today’s tough times! I love people like Marconi. It is a great reminder that if we come up with an idea, it makes sense that other people will not understand it or believe in it. If they did, they would have come up with the idea themselves. Henry Ford went through the same thing as well as most inventors. When ever you do something new, you will undoubtably get many people telling you why it won’t work or why no one will care for it. How would “they” know? They never did anything like what you’re doing. It’s like walking up to a homeless person on the street and asking them their advice on how to become successful. Not the best person to ask. So surround yourself with people that have an open mind. People that don’t have to know what your doing but are open to new ideas and can give constructive help.

I would highly recommend taking the paragraph about Marconi and posting it to your mirror so you can start your day off with this great example of believing in yourself and staying the course. Giving up  is easy everyone does it.

I also love the the title of this section I selected – The Power of Dreams.

Because I truly believe:  “Everything starts with a dream and all your dreams in life can come true – just as long as you don’t oversleep” – Tony Clark

Please share this will all your family and friends. And please share your experiences with me. Thanks! God Bless and keep on keeping on…

I’m getting ready to perform at the Magic Castle in Hollywood tonight. It was 25 years ago when I first worked there. It was a dream come true and still is an honor to  perform there. I’ve chosen and excerpt from “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill that really talks to the great power of the mind to attract things we want. I remember dreaming about working the Magic Castle while I was rehearsing my act in the basement of my parents home in Stamford Connecticut. I imagined that I was actually on the stage performing and enjoying the response from the Castle audience. I did this for almost a year straight until I entered the SAM national magic contest in St. Louis. Happy to say that I won the contest and was booked right then and there by the late Peter Pit to work at the Magic Castle. The mind is so powerful. Unfortunately we don’t get a manual for it. Thankfully there are many great manuals like the one I’m extracting information from today. I’d like to start this section off with one of Napoleon’s greatest quotes:
“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

Now more from Mr. Hill…

Why you are “The Master of your fate”

When the famed English poet William Henley wrote the prophetic lines “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul,” he should have informed us that the reason we are the masters of our fate, the captains of our souls, is that we have the power to control our thoughts.

He should have told us that it is because in some way our brains become “magnetized” with the dominating thoughts that we hold in our minds. And it is as though our magnetized minds attract to us the forces, the people, and the circumstances of life that are in sync with our dominating thoughts.

He should have told us that before we can accumulate riches in great abundance, we must magnetize our minds with the intense desire for riches. That we must become “money conscious” until the desire for money drives us to create definite plans for acquiring it.

Tony’s Thoughts:

The burning desire for me in my early days of my career as I mentioned above was to perform at the Magic Castle. The burning desire can be applied to what ever it is you want to achieve. If someone told me that a kid from Stamford rehearsing in the low ceiling basement of his parents house would ever work in Hollywood at the Mecca of magic, I may have not believed it myself. Thanks to reading this book and after reading several books from Tony Robbins I was able to control my mind and make my dream came true. A matter a fact I dreamed about it so much so that when I stepped foot in the Magic Castle for the first time, I felt as though I’ve been there before. In my minds eye I was there, I visualized it so vividly that I was prepared to receive my dream. And as they say, the rest is history. This is a powerful tool and like anything else it gets better through use. And once you do it, you can repeat it again and again for all your goals and desires. So dream big and desire big. Remember:

“Everything starts with a dream, and all your dreams can come true, just as long as you don’t oversleep”- Tony Clark

Keep sending in your thoughts and responses! Thanks!

I’m particularly happy to share this with you because of the extremely challenging situation here in Tahoe. They have zero snow so far this year! For a ski town this is very bad for business. It really made me go back to basics. I went door to door to meet managers of hotels, motels, and resorts to invite them personally to the show and also give them coupons for their clients. This was in addition to all the other advertising we do which includes radio,TV, Papers, Rack Cards etc.

I did a survey of people waiting in line to see how they found out about the show. It was great to hear that lot of them came it with one of the coupons I had dropped off to over 40 different locations in town. Also there were many word of mouth referrals as well. In a small town that is a very important element for a long running show. Of course the show has to be good or else it can also work against you. Happy to say, the show got an awesome response.

Just wanted to share this because when I rolled into town a week ago, most people told me how bad it was and that I will have a hard time getting people into my show. “There is no one in town.” “It’s the worst we’ve ever seen it” “It’s going to be close to impossible to get people to come..” …blah, blah, blah…

I’ve chosen a great story out of  the book: “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill that I always use as motivation when things seem “impossible” to accomplish. I hope it inspires you too.

The “Impossible” Ford V-8 Motor

When Henry Ford decided to produce his famous V-8 motor, he chose to build and engine with the entire eight cylinders cast in one block. Ford instructed his engineers to produce a design for the engine. The design was drawn up on paper, but the engineers agreed, to a man, that it was simply impossible to cast and eight-cylinder engine block in one piece.

Ford said, “Produce it anyway.”

“But”, they replied, “It’s impossible!”

“Go ahead” Ford commanded, “and stay on the job until you succeed. No matter how much time is required.”

So the engineers went ahead. Six months went by. Nothing happened. Another six months passed, and still nothing. The engineers tried every conceivable plan to carry out the orders, but the thing seemed out of the question. “Impossible!”

At the end of the year Ford again checked with his engineers, and again they told him they had found no way to carry out his orders.

“Go right ahead” said Ford. “I want it, and I’ll have it.” They went ahead, and then as if by a stroke of magic, the secret was discovered.

The Ford determination had won once again!

Tony’s Thoughts:

See what I mean! A great example of  not listening to people’s negative ideas or points of view and also to never give up on your ideas. If I listened to people when I first arrived, I would have been beaten. This happens in all areas of life and careers. Keep this story available when ever you find yourself in a challenging spot. Share it with everyone you know! Read it over and over again and let this inspire you.

If you come up to  Lake Tahoe, stop by the show at the Horizon Casino Resort.

Thanks and remember,

Everything starts with dreams, and all your dreams can come true, just as long as you don’t oversleep – Tony Clark

Well here we are in 2012. Time to get to work and make things happen. Even though times are challenging for a lot of people right now, there are still opportunities out there. I want this blog to be a positive stimulator for you.
This week I’ll be taking excerpts from the all time greatest success book: “Think & Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. There is an enormous amount of information in this book. I will be taking several pieces each week and bringing them to you. This is a must must read for anyone in any career. I wish it was mandatory reading for every high school student. It would make a huge difference in the world. I know it has helped me tremendously and I know it will do the same for you. I’ve also included one of my favorite stories from the book. Enjoy!

Thoughts are Things

Truly, “thoughts are things”. And powerful things, when they are mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence, and a burning desire for their translation into riches, or other material objects.

Psychologists have correctly said, “When one is truly ready for a thing, it puts in its appearance.”

Three Feet From Gold
One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when you are overtaken by temporary defeat. Every person is guilty of this mistake at one time or another.

During the gold-rush days, an uncle of my friend R.U. Darby was caught by the “gold fever” and he went west to Colorado to dig and grow rich. He had never heard that more gold has been mined from the thoughts of men than has ever been taken from the earth.
After weeks of labor, he was rewarded by the discovery of the shining ore. He needed machinery to bring the ore to the surface. Quietly he covered up the mine and returned to his home in Williamsburg, Maryland. He told his relatives and a few neighbors about the strike. They got together money for the machinery and had it shipped.  R.U. Darby decided to join his uncle, and they went back to work the mine.
The first car of ore was mined and shipped to a smelter. The returns proved they had one of the richest mines in Colorado. A few more cars of that ore would clear their debts. Then would come the big killing in profits.
Down went the drills. Up went the hopes of Darby and Uncle. Then something happened. The vein of gold ore disappeared! They had come to the end of the rainbow, and the pot of gold was no longer there. They drilled on , desperately trying to pick up the vein again – all to no avail.
They sold the machinery to a junkman for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home. The junkman called in a mining engineer to look at the mine and do a little calculating. The engineer advised that the project had failed because the owners were not familiar with the “fault lines.” His calculations showed that the vein would be found just three feet from where the Darbys had stopped drilling. And that is exactly where it was found!
The junkman took millions of dollars in ore from the mine because he knew enough to seek expert counsel before giving up.

Tony’s Thoughts:
I love this story because it illustrates to very important points we all need to keep in mind as we push ahead in our careers. First, keep going even when we encounter temporary adversity and, seek out expert advise. This is the biggest downfall in magicians today. For some reason they don’t see the value of hiring a director or consultant to push there act or show to the next level. Like in this story, they’ll spend a lot of money on “machinery/props” put don’t put a dime into a consultant or director. On a weekly basis I see videos of acts that are Three Feet from Gold! It is a real shame. If they only knew or read this book. They’re so close but yet so far. Please share this with everyone you know. Good magic is good for all magicians. Thanks and talk to you soon! Remember…

Everything starts with dreams, and all your dreams can come true, just as long as you don’t oversleep – Tony Clark

The New Year is upon us! Let’s make 2012 better than last. This is why I am excited to share this blog with you. We are in constant need of positive information to counteract all the negative information from the media and people we socialize with.
This week I’m sharing another piece of the book: A Whack on the Side of the Head by Roger Von Oech.  Here we go….

“Nothing is more dangerous than an idea when it’s the only one we have.” – Emile Chartier , French philosopher

For more effective thinking, we need different points of view. Otherwise, we’ll get stuck looking at the same things and miss seeing things outside our focus.

The Second Right Answer:
A leading business school did a study that showed that its graduates performed well at first, but in ten years were overtaken by a more streetwise, pragmatic group. The reason according to the professor who ran the study: “We taught them how to solve problems, not recognize opportunities. When opportunity knocked, they put out their ‘Do not Disturb’ signs.”

“Look for the second right answer”

Often, it is the second right answer which, although offbeat or unusual. is exactly what you need to solve a problem in an innovative way.

“The best way to get a good idea is to get a lot of ideas.”
You may not be able to use all of them, but out of the number you generate you may find a few that are worthwhile. This is why professional photographers take so many pictures when shooting an important subject. They may take twenty, sixty, or a hundred shots. They’ll change the exposure, the lighting, the filters, and so on. That’s because they know that out of all the pictures they take, there many only be a few that capture what they’re looking for. It’s similar with creative thinking: you need to generate a lot of ideas in order to get some good ones….

Tony’ thoughts:

This section of the book fits so perfectly with Magic. I try to remind all my students to not get “married” to the first idea or ideas for their act and to keep an open mind so they can evolve. Being open to others suggestions is a good way to break our pattern of thinking and think out of the box. When you look for more than one right answer, you allow your imagination to open up. It’s really a lot of fun if you can treat it like a game. Also, as mentioned in the book, the more ideas you come up with the better odds of coming up with a good one. When I am hired to create ideas for someone’s act, or TV show or Feature film, I tell them that I have a 20% success rate on good ideas. This may not seem like much but I usually like to come with 10 to 20 ideas for one particular situation. So I may end up with 2 to 4 great ideas that we can actually use or work on and take it to the next level. If I only came up with 2 to or 3 ideas, then my success rate would not be nearly as good. So, let the ideas flow for your act, your career or your life! Have fun with it. This is not a dress rehearsal, it’s the real deal!  So keep dreaming!

“Remember, everything starts with a dream, and all your dreams can come true, just as long as you don’t oversleep” – Tony Clark

Have a great 2012! See you next year!!!

www.tonyclarkmagic.com

www.magicconsultant.tv

www.tonyclarkproductions.com

“Mental Sex”

…why be creative? Why Challenge the rules? Why run the risk of failing and looking foolish? I can think of two good reasons. The first is change. When things change and new information comes into existence, it’s no longer possible to solve current problems with yesterday’s solutions. Over and over again, people are finding out that what worked two years ago won’t work today. This gives them a choice. They can either bemoan the fact that things aren’t as easy as they used to be, or they can use their creative abilities to find new answers, new solutions, and new ideas.

A second reason for generating ideas is that it’s a lot of fun. Indeed, I like to think of creative thinking as “sex of our mental lives.” Ideas, like organisms, have a life cycle. They are born, they develop, they reach maturity, and they die. So we need a way to generate new ideas. Creative thinking is that means, and like it’s biological counterpart, it’s also pleasurable.

Tony’s thoughts:

This could not be a more perfect section to start with considering the state of the economy right now. This is the time to break our old habits and start doing things differently. As for magicians and entertainers, it’s vital to our careers to keep inventing and creating new ideas to stay current with modern times. If we don’t we’ll loose our audience. So take a look at what’s not working in your act (or life for that matter) and see how it could be done differently or changed completely. Don’t be afraid to fail as that is part of success. Change is not always the easiest thing to do but it’s usually the best thing to do.

I recently starting working on a classic routine for my act. Thanks to this book, I am making changes and creating new ideas to make the routine more unique in presentation and technique. Is it challenging? Oh yes. It would have been much easier to do it the standard way. When creating new ideas, it does take a little longer to flesh it out, but when you’re done, it’s something to really be proud about. So I encourage all of you to give it a try. I would love to hear any success stories from people who took something and changed it or created something new and are enjoying the rewards of it.  I’d love to share it with our readers.

More again next Friday!

www.tonyclarkmagic.com

Thanks and talk to you on my next blog.

Tony Clark – www.tonyclarkmagic.com, www.magicconsultant.tv, tonyclarkproductions.com